The clocks go forward, overnight. Let us have one last tasting prior.
Cavalier66, OB, JS and I meet for the occasion. Cavalier66 is first on site, and rushes to eat the food he brought. Once again, he came with an empty stomach.
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| ...and a rucksack full of cheeses! (Manchego, Wigmore, Oxonlees Cheddar, quince paste, Old Roan) |
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| ...with artisanal bread |
The Old Man of Huy presents: Klockdhu
Knockdhu d.1974 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. mid-1980s): Gordon & MacPhail bottled a 10yo and an 11yo from 1974 with this livery. Since they did not print the age on the miniatures, it is impossible to know which one this is. Nose: OME, without surprise, i.e. brine and pickled onions. "If only it was cask strength," says Cavalier66, bracing for my blaming his Frenchitude. Rhubarb leaves, then, a few minutes in, dried cow dung, very vivid. It becomes fresher over time, with chlorophyll, and various leaves. With the second nose comes a musky slap, as well as menthol cigarettes. Mouth: a bit of (elephant) dung, yet that goes away (Cavalier66). It is prickly and punchy (Cavalier66). Ooft! Yes, it is prickly indeed, and peppery. Pink peppercorns, scorched earth, dried chilli flakes. This really has more oomph that any of us expected. The second sip is even more prickly, it that is possible, fresh and ripe with prickly pear, treading onto cactus territory. Finish: shortish, though here is a clear kick of chlorophyll-laden toffee, peppercorns, perhaps spearmint, and stem ginger. A light nuttiness develops upon further sipping, and it feels longer, but it stays fairly constant with the first impression, on the whole. Cassia bark and menthol are here too. I had low expectations for this one, but it is surprisingly good. 7/10
The soundtrack: The Marian Consort, Rory McCleery, The Illyria Consort, Bojan Čičić - Adriatic Voyage - Seventheen-Century Music From Venice To Dalmatia
Cavalier66: "You mean deer piss?"
all: "?"
Cavalier66: "Well, that's what musk is, isn't it? Deer piss. Or maybe I'm bullshitting."
tOMoH: "Deer piss, bull shit... You're a champion of the animal kingdom, aren't you? And you said a minute ago you knew everything about elephant dung too..."
JS presents: Dial-uaine
Dailuaine 16yo (43%, OB, L0343LS000 00039534, b. 2010): nose: "perfect drinking strength" (Cavalier66), hints of coal gas, wood-fire smoke, then strawberry bubble gum. Mouth: mellow, it has wood and edible-paper sheets, strawberry sweets. The second sip has dark-brown sugar. Finish: some mellow red wine, paper paste, cinnamon buns. Always a safe bet, this. Full notes here. 8/10
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| More of that wonderful Iberian acorn salchichon Admiracion (thanks CT) |
The soundtrack: The Marian Consort - Pater Peccavi - Music Of Lamentation From Renaissance Portugal
Cavalier66: "I thought you were going to say 'poo'."
JS: "Yeah, let's bring it back to poo."
The Old Man of Huy presents: dyslexic Spanish painter Salvador Daliwhnnie
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| (you know...) |
Dalwhinnie d.1963 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. early 1980s): same story here: an 18yo and a 20yo exist. Go figure which one this is. Nose: lovely wood paste, with a dollop of mint cream for good measure. Then, we have older wood, old bookshelves, log piles, in which the logs are starting to decompose. Over time, a whiff of citrus appears, in amongst the wood spices (galangal shavings). Nosing deeper, poached and caramelised peaches show up, as one tilts the glass. Mouth: pollen, toasted honey. Cavalier66 calls it oily, whilst I find it quite a bit of toffee (Quality Street's Toffee Penny). It feels almost fizzy, not far from a lemonade. Yes, the citrus comes out upon second sip, shaddock, pomelo, or soft lime. Finish: big, honeyed, caramel-y, it also has a toasted touch of nigella seeds or coffee grounds, which gives a delicate bitterness that will prevent a higher score. Still, great old Dalwhinnie, and it is always a treat to try a Classic Malt bottled by an independent. 8/10
Cavalier66 explains that, one of the most important times in British culture is: Tea(-ninich) time
Teaninich 1973/2012 (41.8%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS13011, 96b): nose: acacia honey (Cavalier66, quick to add the Greek pronunciation), dark honey indeed (mountain pines), candied apricots, poached peaches, a spoonful of fruity custard, vanilla-ed fudge, and a small wood influence too. A grassy note unfolds on the second nose. Mouth: marzipan (JS), lemon sponge cake with a crunchy, white-sugar frosting. Something a tad bitter rocks up, dried lemon peels, or raw vanilla sticks, blended with liquorice-root shavings. Finish: diluted pineapple juice (Cavalier66), some perfume (OB). It is candied fruit and crystallised citrus all round, as far as I can tell. Again, a soft bitterness is present, yet it is far from being a nuisance. I love this. More than my co-tasters, in fact. 9/10
The soundtrack: The Old Man of Huy - Beat The Clock
The Old Man of Huy presents: within an inch of the hour
Inchgower 20yo 1990/2011 (46%, Angus Dundee for The Whisky Castle Cask Collection No. 15, American Oak Cask, C#6987, 264b): I skip this. I am falling behind already. My companions seem to enjoy it thoroughly -- more than anticipated. It fills me with joy. They detect Opal Fruits, Starburst (Cavalier66), which, we find out, is the British equivalent to Sugus. Astonishingly, OB does not know Sugus. Kids of today. Cavalier66 claims we are heading towards Irish territory. My full notes are here.
Time to attack the homemade kouign aman that OB brought (this time, he did not forget it).
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| For the uninitiated, this is a butter cake, with butter and a smidgeon of butter |
OB explains that Amrut made the first triple-distilled Indian single malt whisky, thereby beating everyone -- and the clock -- in the race to achieve that.
Amrut Triparva b.2020 (50%, OB imported by La Maison du Whisky, B#1): nose: a fruit bomb, chock full of mangoes, and fruity esters in general. Suddenly, something hugely creamy takes over, and I mean dairy cream, not crushed-mango creamy. It becomes quite heady, and goes from high-strength alcohol to Virginia tobacco. Caramel joins the band, just before mango resumes the lead singing. I could nose this for hours! There is a dash of a horseradish-style sauce, after a while, chalkier than said sauce. Mouth: after a neutral attack that procures little in the way of flavours, this grows in sheer strength, before exploding into a symphony of juicy fruits (chiefly mango and overripe peach), but also chocolate milk. The second sip is hotter, and warms up the tip of the tongue pretty nicely. It is still mango-y, yet that now supports oily tobacco, some of it lit -- gentle blonde pipe tobacco. Further on, we meet lychee shells, and more and more mango. Phwoar! Finish: big, it now presents grated fresh ginger, mango skins, balls of hair set on fire, lychee thrown into the fire. Really enjoying this! 9/10
Cavalier66: "Eternity lasts a long time. Especially towards the end."
OB bought the next dram from the Green Welly Stop. He had food poisoning the next day, and rushed back to Edinburgh to return to London. In other words, he had to beat the clock to catch a train.
Old Pulteney 14yo 2006/2021 (51.9%, OB exclusive to TyndrumWhisky.com, ex-Bourbon American Oak Barrel, C#1414, 264b, b#161): "modern whisky" (cavalier66). Nose: salty and full of toffee, here are custard and other Bourbon-cask markers. Cavalier66 finds orchard fruits, whereas I only find compote and Sugus sweets with a pinch of salt, vanilla-laced fudge, and a drop of pomelo juice. Mouth: similar to the nose, the mellow custard of the palate is augmented with some green-citrus acidity, and lots of sugar. It is fairly hot and spicy too, with more lemongrass than ginger. The custard is sprinkled with chilli flakes, or chilli-infused oil. There is also a vague taste of citrus-y seaweed -- yes: it is salty. Finish: long, yet soft, sweet and lush, creamy, this has custard written all over it, and the now-compulsory citrus-juice drop (pomelo, shaddock). Nice job. 8/10
OB: "How do you manage your wood?"
tOMoH: "This conversation is taking a turn for the unexpected."
Cavalier66: "I outsource the management. You cannot manage your wood yourself."
The soundtrack: Sparks - Plagiarism
Cavalier66 reminds us that the clocks go forward Tormorrow, which means we will have Tormore day time in the evening.
Tormore 1988/2012 (55.4%, Malts of Scotland, Sherry Butt, C#MoS12043, 96b): nose: woody, earthy, this sports nail lacquer, mahogany cabinets, and woodworm. This is strangely both fruity (dried dates) and sharp (hints of turpentine). It remains pretty earthy, though. The second nose brings about liquorice allsorts. Mouth: unexpectedly rubbery, we see bicycle inner-tubes, mixed with earth and juicy dark-ish fruits (elderberry, dates, membrillo). The second sip has mentholated talcum powder, pressed elderberry, walnut oil and raspberry vinegar. Finish: long, distinctly sherried, but neither overly sweet nor earthy. Mahogany lacquer, squashed dates, and chocolate-coated strawberries. 7/10
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| JS notices (late, but first of us) that Cavalier66 is wearing a shirt with a music sheet printed on it -- a music sheet without a time signature, Cavalier66 mischievously points out |
JS presents: Spring forward, fall Bank
Springbank 21yo 1995/2017 (54.7%, The Greedy Angels for Bas Veenendaal, Ivor Johnstone, Ian Park, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 288b): nose: funk (Cavalier66), exuberant fruit (JS), cereals, hay dust, quite a bit of fruit indeed. Of course, we have the trademark Springbank farmyard scents too. A dash of white spirit, or wood stain, provides a gentle kick up the nose, which I do not remember from our previous encounters. Mouth: mineral and a half, here are slate and limestone in a ploughed field. There remains some fruit too, fresh berries, mostly. Finish: never-ending, it displays the same minerality, perhaps even more pronounced, now; gooseberry coulis on slate, or cranberries, crushed under a block of limestone. Full notes for this lovely drop are here. 9/10
Cavalier66 departs.
The Old Man of Huy presents a whisky within an inch of the hour (yes, it is the second time today -- get over it)
Inchgower 12yo b.1991 (59%, James MacArthur Fine Malt Selection exclusive to The Mini Bottle Club (U.K.), C#10661, 180b): we extrapolate the cask number from the big bottle with the same ABV. Nose: well, the OME is certainly most pronounced on this one. Cardboard, pickled herring, then brine, rollmops, green olives, crushed chalk, mixed with vanilla sugar. This is quite a ride, with an interesting dialogue between sweet and salty sides. It is hot, though. At least, it promises to be. The second nose almost burns the nostrils. Mouth: woah! It is rather austere on the tongue, chalky, salty. There is an underlying fruitiness, although it is not what drives this dram. Finish: long, drying, chalky. This is good. I will get back to it another time and focus on the company, tonight. 8/10
Next up are a Murray McDavid Living the Dram beer, matured in a whisky cask (thanks, BA), and a Side Project Beer:Barrel:Time (thanks, JS) that is as dark and heavy as a bowl of porridge made with coffee, instead of water or milk.
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| Living the Dram |
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| Beer:Barrel:Time |
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| Cantillon has the final, topical word ("Le temps ne respecte pas ce qui se fait sans lui") |
Great times.
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